Samarkand is the second largest city in Uzbekistan and was an important city along the Silk Road. It was the capital of the empire of Timur in the 14th century and is home to many historical landmarks like the Gur-e Amir mausoleum and the Bibi-Khanym Mosque. Bukhara is one of the oldest cities in Uzbekistan located on a sacred hill and was an important stop on the Silk Road, known for its architectural monuments from different eras. Khiva is an ancient city that still retains its exotic Oriental flavor in the old walled city of Ichan Kala, with historical structures like the Kunya-Ark citadel, Tash-
4. The city is most noted for
its central position on the
Silk Road between China
and the West, and for being
an Islamic centre for
scholarly study.
5. In the 14th
century, it became
the capital of the
empire of Timur
(Tamerlane), and is
the site of his
mausoleum
(the Gur-e Amir). The
Bibi-Khanym
Mosque remains
one of the city's
most notable
landmarks.
6. The Registan was
the ancient centre of
the city.
In 2001,
UNESCO added
the city to its
World Heritage
List as
Samarkand ¨C
Crossroads of
Cultures.
8. Bukhara is one of the most ancient cities
of Uzbekistan, situated on a sacred hill, the
place where sacrifices were made by fire-
worshippers in springtime. This city was
mentioned in a holy book "Avesto".
9. Bukhara city is
supposed to be founded
in the 13th c.B.C.
during reign of
Siyavushids who came
to power 980 years
before Alexander the
Great. The name of
Bukhara originates
from the word "vihara"
which means
"monastery" in Sanskrit.
The city was once a
large commercial center
on the Great Silk Road.
10. Bukhara with more than 140 architectural monuments is a
"town museum" dating back to the Middle Ages. 2,300 years
later, ensembles like the Poi-Kalon, Kos Madras, Ismail Samani
Mausoleum and the Kalian Minaret are attracting a lot of
attention. The city consists of narrow streets, green parks and
gardens, historical and architectural monuments belong to the
different epochs, but locate very close to each other.
12. Khiva is a city
from a fairy-tale. The
capital of the Khiva
Khanate in the 17th
century, it still
retained the exotic
flavour of a medical
Oriental town in the
old part of the city -
Ichan-Kala, where all
monuments of
architecture are
located.
Khiva
13. Among them are the Kunya-
Ark citadel, the Tash-Khauli
Palace, and the fortified hill -
Akshish-bobo, which is the
best place to glance over the
whole city.
Today Khiva is a museum-city.
There are no tall buildings and
wide streets here. It is very
hard to enumerate all the
historic sites in Khiva. There
are palaces decorated with
colourful mosaics, the adobe
houses, and many
medressehs, minarets and
mosques in Khiva, such as the
tall and beautiful Islam-Hoja
minaret.
14. Khiva has
always been famous
for its wood-carving.
Doors and columns
of palaces are
covered by very
beautiful patterns.
The museum devoted to this monument can
become one of the most attractive objects of
tourism of the world historical and cultural
significance
An open-air museum, ancient Khiva is
waiting for you!